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Bittersweet Chocolate and Cardamom Cupcakes

October 21, 2008

Over the past couple of months I have been consumed by guilt. Even though I had tons of ideas and a couple of sleepless nights I did miss a couple of Sugar High Fridays. Guilty! It matters. It's sugar. Allright, so "consumed" is a little strong. Upset that I could not work my schedule right to find an hour to make cupcakes is more realistic. When something I could have done starts bugging me, the smaller it is, the more it bugs me. I can easily forget there is an elephant in the room, but if a tiny little fly starts dancing in my head....It will keep dancing and buzzing until I do something about it. The elephant will still be in the room though.

I missed Fanny's S.O.S for cupcakes but I surely was not going to miss Anita's call for SHF spiced up sweets. So when C. and I started to plan her upcoming birtday party, the little fly in my head started to dance, loudly. Tap dancing even. Maybe I could combine both.C: hmm, not sure what I want for dessert for my birthday...Me: Cupcakes! You want cupcakes!C: really? Me: chocolate cupcakes with a hint of cardamom...C: that's very grown up for a cupcakeMe: Well, that's settled then! Chocolate Cardamom Cupcakes! Glad we had this discussion!

Allright, so that was the summed up version. I did give her some space to think and talk more than that, give me some credit here! I did however guided her towards the bittersweet chocolate cupcakes and the addition of cardamom in them which is a spice that she likes as much as I do. The frosting is a simple whipped ganache. Easy, rich and chocolatey to the bone. The combination seems classic and worked well as there were one left for her last night! Too bad I can only send a picture to Anita for this month SHF!!

Bittersweet Chocolate and Cardamom Cupcakes:

Makes 24 cupcakes.Kitchen Notes: the whipped ganache needs to go on the cupcakes as soon as it is ready so have the cupcakes baked and completely cooled. Make sure the ganache is chilled well before whipping or it might separate.

Note: I noticed a bloop (sorry was typing late night-early morning) and in the ganache I gave the single measure of chocolate for a double measure of cream. My sincere apologies...and yes, I promise to stop typing this late :)2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom1/8 teaspoon salt2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup granulated sugar4 large eggs, at room temperature6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cardamom and salt and set aside.In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until airy and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape down the sides if necessary). Still on medium speed, add the chocolate and mixing until well incorporated. Add the flour,baking soda and salt alternating with the buttermilk . Make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overbeat. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Place the chocolate in a medium size bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a couple of minutes. Stir the cream and chocolate together gently until the mass becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool and refrigerate until very cold. When ready to use, whip the ganache until it is holds its shape and spreads easily. Use as soon as it is made or it will be too stiff to pipe. If this happens, just reheat it on top of a double boiler to melt it again, and repeat the cooling and whipping process. If your chocolate is less than 72% bittersweet, add 2 more ounces before adding the hot cream.We had a tad more than needed but with enough spoons digging into it, it was not a problem.

These are the most decadent cupcakes I have ever seen. But what strikes me as really cool is that we are playing around with the same flavor combination cardamom and chocolates! Helen - I love the pictures for these!

Helen, thanks so much for participating - SHF just wouldn't be the same without you contributing your gorgeous creations! They look like little soft serve cones! I'm looking forward to including you in the round-up. Thanks so much again sweetie!

Oooh, yum! I love chocolate and cardamom together. I so meant to participate in this month's SHF, but with our house still completely upside down, and our sofa temporarily being stored on its side in our rather small kitchen (and did I mention my parents are arriving this weekend and will need somewhere to sleep as well) not much chance I'll make it. Shame, but I'll have a virtual bite of your gorgeous cupcakes instead.

Cupcakes!!! Looks so adorable with that polka dot ribbon. Oh are those the wilton cupcake liners? They changed from the original ones which I liked the looks of better. But it seems these ones are have better non-stick coatings.Love the pics of bailey in the previous post...Your pup sure knows how to pose for the camera.

What a unique flavor combination, the cupcakes look beautiful :). I would love to include your recipe in our pre-loaded Demy, the first and only digital recipe reader. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you're interested.

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Helen, beautiful and elegant as allways. I also have to start spicing up something to send Anita! Cardamon is wonderful, I usually have it with white chocolate, but I'm sure it is as great with bittersweet. Whipped ganache is much more delicious than buttercream to top cupcakes!

Nice. Loving the combo of dark chocolate and cardamom. I went with heat in my chocolate entry, and now that I think of it, cardamom would have been a terrific addition. Cute cups, too. I still can't find those paper things around here. I should look harder, huh?

These are so wonderfully decadent, Helen! I love them! And thank-you for the whipped ganache recipe and technique---I'm hoping to make some cupcakes on Saturday and was wondering how best to whip the ganache and make it more interesting :)

Richard: these liners are from the brand Wilton. They are called "nut cups" or something like that and not cupcake liners. If you do a google search for Wilton nut cups or Wilton liners, I think you can find which store could deliver to Brazil. Maybe amazon.com or ebay.com?

Helen, thank you! I found them on Amazon and a couple of other places but none deliver overseas. Fortunately I have a long-suffering mother who comes down often and is always loaded with things for me.

I plan on making your cupcakes tomorrow, as soon as the buttermilk is ready. Thanks again for your help.

Very late to the game, but I made these cupcakes over the weekend and they are truly excellent. The cardamom blends perfectly with the chocolate, and the buttermilk makes the cupcakes wonderfully tender. I'm not usually a cupcake fan, but I can tell that I'll be making these again.